The Way Back Home
by cass189
Summary: One-shot written for the Age of Edward Contest. When you find yourself in the middle of a war you just want it to end. When it does end, you just want the ones you love to find their way back home...


**Age of Edward Contest**

**Title: ****The Way Back Home**

**Your pen name: Cass189**

**Type of Edward: ****WWII Edward**

**If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this contest visit: The Age of Edward C2 Community:  
http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/community/The_Age_of_Edward_Contest/70125/**

**Thank you to Irebporti for beta'ing**** for me!**

* * *

**The Way Back Home**

BPOV

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to feel the wind brushing against my face before opening them again.

Families gathered around me and I could finally see the boats in the distance making their way to the port.

_Was this it? Was he finally coming back home to me?_

Sighting, I closed my eyes again allowing the memories of him to take over my senses. I needed him to be back.

I met Edward in 1939 in a snowy day in December, after I had moved to Chicago. The war had just begun but I couldn't say my life was truly affected by it yet…

That day while watching the snow fall around me I tripped and feel in front of him, spraining my ankle. He took care of me and we never parted since then.

Until the war took a turn for the worst, that is…

We would stand in the porch of the house his parents left for him after their deaths every afternoon.

He would tell me about his day at work and I would tell him about mine. He would hold my hand and lightly kiss my lips while we stood there watching as the day gave place to the night.

I smiled, remembering one especial night when a storm suddenly started and we ran into the house. I ran in front of him, willing him to catch me and of course he did.

That night he laid me down on his soft bed and we made love for the first time.

I spent every night after that one in his arms and every night we made plans.

We were going to get married and have two babies, who we were going to name Elizabeth and Charles after his mother and my father. He even wanted a dog.

We had no one besides each other in the world but that was more than enough.

I think most people who saw us everyday already thought we were married. We would probably be looked down on if they knew we weren't but I couldn't say that worried me. As long as I had him and could be with Edward nothing else mattered.

We were happy together. Immensely so…

We had created a little bubble around us that kept us safe, happy and made us believe that nothing could ever get in between us.

We were sure we would make our dreams come true together. Our plans would become true.

But then we were attacked…

On December 8, 1941 the government declared war on Japan and Germany and a year later Edward was deployed.

Deployed to fight a war that shouldn't be ours…

I moved to New York shortly after Edward went to war and started to work on a hospital. I befriended a woman of about my age named Alice Whitlock in the hospital. Her husband was in the same unit as Edward.

She was waiting for him to come back home as well.

Here, I could help the soldiers that came home injured. Here, I could be close to the place where Edward would return.

He knew where I was, when he returned, he would come to me.

So I waited in the sidelines, helping those I could. But the war never seemed to end so I could have him back with me, back in my arms and sleeping beside me every night like he should.

I had stopped hearing from Edward six months ago. No letters, no notes passed to someone, nothing…

I didn't know where he was, what he was doing or even if he was alive…

I still hoped he was. My mind kept telling me that his letters probably just got lost or he simply didn't have the time to write. He _was_ in the middle of the war, after all.

My heart still told me he was alive. In a corner of this world, he was still alive and I knew he would make his way back to me.

And that was why I was here today, in this port, seeing the soldiers that finally returned home after the war.

I was here because I still had hope.

After the atomic bombs were dropped, the Japanese finally surrendered and the soldiers finally started to make their ways home.

I hoped Edward would be one of those soldiers who returned today. I hoped he would come out of one of those boats alive and well.

I saw soldiers making their way to the crowd that was waiting for them. I saw their wives and children run to their arms.

I even saw Alice running into the arms of a tall and blonde man and immediately knew that was her husband. He had come back home to her.

I never felt myself be enveloped in the embrace I craved for so much, though…

As the last soldiers made their way out of the boats and up the street I almost felt that hope that had kept me going, vanish.

Almost…

As I turned around, tears running down my face due to the crushing knowledge that Edward hadn't made it, a strong hand wrapped around my smaller one.

A melodic voice sounded from behind me and it was as if all the weight was lifted from my shoulders.

"Giving up so easily?" I turned around to look at him and my heart immediately did a double take.

He squeezed my hand and smiled at me.

"Edward…" I reached out to touch his face and smiled. He had cuts and bruises on his face and he was starting to grow a beard, but he was still perfect.

So perfect in his military clothing, holding a bag in his hand.

I stood there simply caressing his face and gazing into his eyes, seeing the love and happiness reflected there, until something clicked inside of me.

He was here! He was finally here! He had come back to me.

Not caring about anything else anymore I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face on the crook of his neck.

He winced in pain when I did so but wrapped his arms around me anyway in an iron grip, not allowing me to let go.

I didn't want to let go.

I felt him place several light kisses along my neck and shoulder as I breathed in his smell.

He was really here. He was real!

When his grip on me finally loosened I took a step back to look at him and motioned to his chest area.

"You're hurt." He took his hand to his stomach but shrugged.

"It's nothing. Besides, now that I am here I expect you to nurse me back to health." I smiled at him and touched his beautiful face again.

"I will." He placed his hand back on my waist and pulled me towards him so he could kiss my nose, my cheeks, my eyelids and then finally my lips.

The pressure his lips were exerting against mine was so light, I almost couldn't feel them. Somehow it was one of the most intimate kisses we had ever shared…

With that light kiss he was trying to show me just how much he had waited for his moment. Waited to be back in my arms.

"Bella…" He whispered against my lips and I couldn't help but to smile.

"Yes?" He pulled back a little in order to look at me and smiled crookedly while tracing my face with his fingers.

"You're here…" I didn't fully understand his affirmation. Did he think I wouldn't be here?

"Of course. Where else would I be?" He shrugged, capturing my lips in a more intense kiss.

"I love you, Bella. Did you know that?" I smiled happily at him.

"Still? After all this?" He nodded, pressing our foreheads together.

"Forever. How could I not?"

"I love you, too." I moved my hand to his hair and tangled my fingers in it. It was still so soft…

He buried his head on my neck and hugged me tightly to him. I was all too happy to be like this.

We stood there, simply kissing and smiling at each other as the rain started to lightly fall around us, until he took my hand in his and kissed it.

"Are you taking me home, Ms. Swan?" I blushed a little and nodded. I had completely forgotten where we were and that he was probably tired and just wanted to get home.

"Of course I am, Mr. Cullen" I stood on my tip-toes to kiss him once more and motioned to where we should go.

With his fingers tangled with mine, I looked up at him as we begun walking and commented with a friendly tone.

"You have to shave." He smiled at me and nodded.

"Yes, I do."

--

I took him home and only let go of him when he asked me if he could take a quick shower.

I left him in the bathroom and went around the house, picking up anything I might need to attend to his injuries.

Even though he said it was nothing I was sure he was hurt and needed to be taken care of.

When I got back, he had already taken a shower. He was wearing only a pair of pants and I could see the deep cut in his stomach.

He had undeniably lost weight and from where I stood I could tell some of his injuries would take time to heal.

I wondered for a second how he had gotten them but decided not to ask. He didn't need to relive what he went through right now.

He would tell me about it when he felt it was time.

I trailed my eyes up his body and realized he was leaning in against the bathroom countertop, a straight razor in his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought you said I had to shave." I smiled at him and nodded "Thank you for bringing my things here."

I shrugged while getting closer to him.

"I told you, I was just waiting for you." I stood mere inches away from him, watching as he ran the razor along his face.

He was perfectly coordinated. Not once did he hesitate.

"Can I do it?" Stopping his movements, he raised an eyebrow at me.

"You want to do it?" I nodded and he stretched his hand for me to take it. I did so and he pulled me closer to him.

He placed his hands on my waist and pulled me up, sitting me on the countertop. For a second I thought it wouldn't hold my weight but it did.

He moved so he was standing between my legs and handed me the razor.

"Be careful with it."

"You spent more than 2 years in the middle of chaos and made it and know you are afraid of me?"

"Well, if you are holding a cutting object then yes!"

"Ah! Can I know why?" He shrugged and winked at me.

"You're clumsy…" I opened my mouth to defend me but realized there was no defense possible for me.

I was hopelessly clumsy…

Edward chuckled at my reaction and ran his hands down my legs and then up again, stopping them at my thighs.

"Come on, start but please don't decapitate me." I scowled at him but started anyway.

I was a little unsure of what I was doing at the beginning but with his instructions I found just the right way of doing it without hurting him.

I must confess I got distracted a few times and ended up hurting him once. It was his entire fault, thought.

He was the one distracting me as he kept moving his hands up and down my legs and sides, brushing the sides of my breasts ever so lightly.

Nonetheless managed to finish my work without any other incidents.

Once I was done, I placed the razor in the sink and grabbed a towel so I could wash his face.

"There we go. Perfect…" I leaned in to kiss his freshly shaved face, while running my hands up his bare chest, the towel thrown to the side already.

Every time I touched him his muscles would contract and then relax at my touch.

"Very good. You are approved, Ms Swan."

"Well, thank you!" I kissed him once and used my hands that were on his chest to push him back a little so I could jump down of the countertop. "Now, Mr. Cullen, it's time to take care of those injuries of yours. I hope you know I expect you to be a good patient."

He looked straight at me and smirked before nodding.

"Alright. I promise I'll be as good a patient as I can be and lay down on that bed as you take care of me without complaining once… But you have to do something for me…" What did he have in mind?

"And what would that be?"

"When you get in bed with me, you have to take that dress off."

"I think that can be arranged." I took his hand in mine and led him to the little bedroom, where I had left all I needed to take care of him.

Once there, he lay down on his back and I kept my end of the bargain. I took my shoes and dress off and once I was standing in front of him only in my undergarments moved so I was sitting on bed beside him.

I debated whether to take my stockings off or not but decided to keep them. I remembered him saying something about liking them once…

"Perfect…" I smiled shyly at him and grabbed the medical kit so I could have a look at his wounds.

He kept his end of the bargain as well. Not once did he complain as I took care of him.

He did wince once when I applied a little more pressure to the big cut on his stomach. Once it was bandaged, I leaned in and placed a kiss on top of it, before dragging my lips up his stomach to his chest and then finally to his neck.

He immediately wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer so he could capture my lower lip in between his.

He sucked on it in that delicious way he did and I found myself moaning against his mouth repeatedly as his hands moved up and down my body, setting my body ablaze.

When he pulled back I chastely kissed his nose and smiled.

"Are you really alright?" He nodded while brushing a fallen strand of my hair away from my face.

"Yes, I am fine. Especially now that I have you with me. You are an exceptional nurse." I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his lips again.

When he wrapped his arm around my waist I shifted my weight so I was lying more on top of him, without touching his wounds. That's when I felt a very familiar part of his body poking me in the stomach.

I pulled back from our kiss and looked down between us with a smile on my face.

"Well, I can see Eddie there didn't get hurt." He raised an eyebrow at the nickname.

"Eddie?"

"Well, I was going to name it little Edward but the little part wouldn't be exactly true, would it?" He chuckled at me and pulled me down for another kiss.

"What is this? I leave my lovely, shy girlfriend for a period of time and come back to a little vixen?" I shrugged, blushing furiously.

"I've been without you for a long time." He just laughed at me, while kissing my face.

"I love you, silly girl."

"I love you too. Eddie as well, of course." He chuckled again but his chuckle quickly became a groan as I moved my hand under the waistband of his pants so I could run my fingers along his erection from base to tip.

Hum… I had to confess I did love it. I didn't have any comparison basis but I was sure I was luckier than most.

He was big, hard and soft to the touch at the same time. What was there not to like?

While touching him, I suddenly got the urge to do something else. Something I had only done once before. Something I knew or at least expected he would enjoy.

He certainly did seem to enjoy the last time.

With my fingers hooked under the waistband of his pants I started to kiss and lick down the perfectly defined muscles of his chest and stomach.

It didn't take him long to realize what I had in mind.

"Bella, what are you doing?"

"I'm simply making sure there really isn't anything wrong with Eddie." He smiled and winked at me while moving his hips up so I could more easily pull his pants and underpants down.

Once they were off, I moved so I was standing between his legs.

I looked up at him and smiled when I saw him swallow hard.

I then turned my attention to his erection and stuck my tongue out and licked him from base to tip, making him groan.

I giggled a little at his reaction but licked him again before taking only his head in my mouth.

I kept sucked on it, while my tongue twirled around his tip and my fingers lightly caressed his balls.

He writhed slightly beneath me but didn't buck his hips in my direction. He was holding back and I certainly didn't want him to do that.

I moved my mouth along his length taking as much of him as I could in my mouth. I then closed my mouth tightly around him started to move it up and down.

His hand immediately moved to my head as he practically growled.

From that point on, he kept caressing my scalp as I moved my mouth up and down his length. My hand pumping what couldn't fit in my mouth.

His hips started to buck erratically in my direction when he couldn't control himself and I moaned around him every time, making him growl.

I liked the sounds he made when we were like this. It had been so long since I had heard them…

"Oh, Bella…" I smiled to myself and started to move my mouth faster as his breathing became shallower.

Not long after I started I felt his length pulse and twitch inside my mouth and knew this was it.

I started to work faster in rhythm with the movement of his hips.

"Bella…" He tugged on my hair, giving me the choice to pull back if I wanted. I didn't…

I moaned around him, feeling the vibration run up his body but didn't stop moving.

If I was being sincere with myself, I had to say this was not my favorite part and I knew Edward didn't mind if I stopped now and used my hands but I didn't want to do that this time.

I increased my pace and the intensity with which I sucked him and felt him tremble beneath me.

He said my name once again before letting go completely.

I kept moving as he reached his release and only stopped when I felt his body go limp.

Letting go of him, I licked my lips and kissed his tip as he massaged the back of my neck.

I then very slowly kissed up his body, paying especial attention to his collarbone and neck.

I lay down on my side beside him and smiled when he rolled over so he was looking at me and raised his hand to touch my face.

We stood there looking at each other as he caressed my face for what seemed like hours.

Maybe it was. I couldn't tell…

"Bella, will you marry me?" It took me a minute to fully understand what his words meant.

"What?"

"After all this – after all I've seen – I've realized I never want to be apart from you again. I kept seeing your face everywhere and all I wanted was to be able to hear your voice." He leaned in to kiss my cheek and went on. "I want to make you mine and yes, I now you already are mine but I want it to be official. I want to wake up with you every morning and go to sleep with you every night. I want to be able to tell everyone you are my lovely wife. I want to have you near me every day so I can touch you and kiss you when I please. I want to start a family with you, Bella, and be happy. Will you marry me?"

I stood there looking at him, trying to understand if I had heard him right. _Had he just asked me to marry him?_

I knew that was part of our plans before he went away but had he indeed asked me? Did I want to marry him? I knew the answer to my own question.

I did. I wanted to marry him more than anything now that I had him back.

Looking at him, lying next to me, I realized the reason why he had asked me to marry him now.

He had been through a war. He had seen things no one ever should. He had been in pain, seen people suffer and now he didn't want to waste any more time. He wanted to be happy.

He wanted to be happy with me and I certainly wanted to be happy with him again, as well…

He misinterpreted my silence and immediately started talking.

"Bella, I know I haven't done this right. I should probably be on my knees now, holding the ring I have for you…" Feeling the tears form in my eyes, I placed a finger on his lips making him stop talking.

"Yes." He seemed momentarily taken aback.

"Yes?" I smiled brightly and for the second time today, threw myself at him pressing our lips together.

He made us roll so I was lying on my back with him hovering on top of me and stood between my parted legs.

He kissed my lips with undeniable need and then pulled back to look at me and brush my hair away from my face.

"I promise I'll do this right, my love. I simply needed to ask you now. I promise I'll do it again, how it should be done, and I hope your answer is still yes then."

"How could my answer ever be anything else other than a yes?" He smiled at me and captured my lips in another kiss before pressing our foreheads together like he had done earlier.

"You are what brought me home, Bella. While I was there, all I could think about was having you in my arms like this again. Every night when I lay down to sleep I thought about feeling your warm body next to mine again. I thought about getting home to you every single minute. That's what pulled me through that war. The thought that you were here waiting for me."

"I was so afraid of losing you! For a moment there I thought I would never see you again. All I wanted to do was to be able to go find you…" A tear fell down my face and he wiped it away.

"That's alright, love. It's all over now. We're together again." I smiled at him and nodded."

Yes, we were finally together once more.

He moved his head so he could lightly kiss my lips once more but I immediately moved my hand to his hair, not allowing him to move just yet.

He quickly understood what I wanted and run his tongue along my lower lip, asking for entrance to my mouth.

When we parted for air he placed a chaste kiss on my cheek and looked straight at me.

"What do you say to a little celebrating, my love?" He said this with a smile on his face and I immediately knew what he meant.

It had been so long…

"Aren't you hurt and tired?"

"No. I want to be with you…" And with that he was kissing down my neck to my collarbone and cleavage as his hands palmed my covered breasts.

All too soon he pulled back, though. Luckily, it was for a good reason.

He made me sit down so he could remove the upper part of my undergarments and once my breasts were exposed to him made me lay down again.

Hovering over me he very lightly kissed the peak of my breasts before leaning in to take my left breast in his mouth.

I moaned when he did so as a heat wave took over my body.

I was enjoying the sensations he was providing me with so much by simply kissing and licking my breasts, I whimpered loudly when he pulled back.

He sat down between my legs and moved his hands up them to my thighs.

He very slowly pulled each of my stockings down, kissing each inch of skin that was revealed to him.

I hadn't fully realized how much I missed the feel of his lips pressed against my skin until now. Every time he touched and kissed me a shiver ran down my body, alerting all my senses to him.

Once my stockings were off he turned his attention to the rest of my clothes, pulling them down my legs and exposing all of me to him.

His eyes took in all of my body and I immediately felt myself blush but quickly forgot my embarrassment when he smiled at me, running his hands up and down my naked body.

"Beautiful. You are beautiful, Bella." He leaned in towards me, allowing me to feel some of his weight on top of me.

I placed my hands on his back, caressing the skin there and pulling him closer to me.

"So are you." He chuckled at my comment and I wrapped my legs around him, wiggling a little, and making his chuckle turn into a moan.

"Bella…"

"Yes?" I batted my eyelashes and brushed our bodies together again, feeling the effect I was having on him pressed against my stomach.

He moved his hand down to my thigh and squeezed it and I was the one moaning when he bucked his hips in my direction, pressing his erection against my entrance.

He could so easily make me want him, be prepared for him…

"Edward, I…" He buried his head on my neck, kissing the sensitive skin behind my ear and whispered.

"I know." And he did know because in that moment he moved to look at me and with his eyes locked with mine, he reached between our bodies, leading himself inside of me.

We both moaned when he was filling me completely and I had to take several deep breaths to readjust to the feeling of having him inside of me like this.

More than two years without this had been too much.

He stood still on top of me, allowing me to get accustomed to him but I could see his jaw was clenched and he was taking several deep breaths himself.

Staying still at this moment wasn't easy for him, I was sure, but he was doing it for me.

With a slightly shaky hand I touched his face and moved my hips against his, letting him to know I was ready.

He very slowly pulled out of me only to enter me again with a long, slow thrust that made me throw my head back and my toes curl.

"So tight and wet…" He sounded slightly out of breath and all I could do was nod as he slowly picked up pace.

My hips moved in rhythm with his and my legs, tightly wrapped around him, kept him close to me and moving as deeply inside of me as possible in this position.

So good… He felt so good!

As I moved my body more rapidly underneath his, he set a faster rhythm of moving in and out of me. He kept moving his hips in such a way that made him hit all the right places inside of me.

He once again buried his face on my neck and his mouth lavished attention to that area as one of his hands pinched my nipple making me whimper his name.

I was closer and closer to my release and he knew it.

He moved his hand that was still on my thigh between our bodies until it reached the place where we were joined.

He lightly ran his fingers over my clit at first and as I moaned applied the most exquisite pressure.

I was so close…

He rubbed, pinched and massaged my clit and his actions conjured with the way he was still pounding inside of me was too much. It was too much but still wasn't quite enough.

"Edward, please..." I was begging him but he was doing the same to me. He kept saying my name almost as if it was a prayer.

He knew I needed more and started to pound harder on top of me, urging me to reach my climax with him.

"Bella, I need you to…" His sentence was cut short by a loud scream, which I quickly realized had come from me.

The bed was shaking violently beneath us and for a minute I feared it would break but just like the countertop it didn't.

I was reduced to incoherent whimpers, my breathing was fast and my vision glazed over as, with a particularly deep thrust, he made me reach my release.

I whimpered and screamed his name as my fingers and nails dug on the skin of his back.

"That's it, my love. You feel so good…" He suddenly bit down on my shoulder and I could feel the wetness between my legs that told me he too had reached his climax.

He collapsed on top of me and I took the chance to place several light kisses along his shoulder as he kissed my cheek.

He soon moved so he was lying on his back and pulled me to his arms with a kiss on my forehead.

We stood there quiet after that as he played with the strands of my hair and caressed my skin. I lay my head on his chest, hearing his heart beat and feeling him breath in and out.

I never wanted to be anywhere else but here in this same position.

"Now that I am here, I think it's time to move. You shouldn't be living here." I looked around the room of the little house I had managed to find and shrugged. It wasn't a very good house but it was enough.

"It's not so bad in here. Besides, I just wanted to be close to the port…"

"I know but I want to give you the best I can. Don't you like our home in Chicago?"

"Yes, I love it."

"Maybe we can move back there then."

"I'd like that." I moved so I could kiss his jaw and then rested my head back on his chest, hearing his heart beat.

He kept running his hand up and down my back and when he started to hum a lullaby like he used to do before we were forced to be separated; I felt my whole body relax and was almost allowing sleep to take over me when he spoke again.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"There are some people I want you to meet." I cuddled closer to him and sighed contently.

"Yes?"

"Yes. I've made a few good friends during the war. They want to meet the girl I wouldn't stop talking about." I smiled and kissed his chest.

"There is someone I want you to meet too. She helped me while you were gone and her husband came back today as well." I was sure he would like Alice.

She was always so positive it was impossible not to.

"I would like that." I nodded and he wrapped his arms around me a little more strongly before starting to hum my lullaby again.

This time I wasn't able to fight the sleep that took over me.

Edward was back, I could finally fall asleep without any worries…


End file.
